The largest Hindu temple in California, the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Chino Hills, was vandalized with messages against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday. The San Bernadino County Sheriff reported that deputies arrived at the temple just before 9:15 a.m. to find vulgar graffiti covering the entrance. The cost to repair the damage is estimated to exceed $15,000, and no surveillance video was available to identify any suspects.
The Hindu American Foundation shared photos of the defacement on social media, calling on authorities to investigate this act of vandalism as part of a series of anti-Hindu hate crimes. The BAPS Public Affairs account expressed solidarity with the community, vowing to stand firm against hate and emphasizing the importance of peace and compassion.
The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir is affiliated with the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, a Hindu faith founded by Bhagwan Swaminarayan in the early 20th century. The faith, rooted in the Vedas, promotes five lifetime vows including abstinence from alcohol, addictions, adultery, meat, and impurity of body and mind. With over 5,000 centers worldwide and more than 100 centers in the U.S., the faith emphasizes the spiritual principle of finding joy in the well-being of others.
This incident of vandalism against the California Hindu temple has sparked calls for unity and tolerance within the community, urging a collective effort to ensure that love and understanding triumph over hatred.
